One of cognac’s premier maisons celebrates its tricentennial with a spirit for the ages.
“This year is really important because we are marking 300 years of the House of Rémy Martin, so we launched the 300th Anniversary Coupe—the new blend that celebrates these three centuries,” Baptiste Loiseau tells Maxim from his office in the Charente region of France.
“We wanted to start by paying tribute to the past, but it was not only a question of celebrating what has been done by the previous generation—we really also wanted to celebrate what we are doing now with all the growers and the people that are working for the house.”
This year not only marks the 300th year of Rémy Martin, but it also celebrates the 10th year of Loiseau as Cellar Master of Rémy Martin and its esteemed Louis XIII expression; he became the youngest cellar master in the history of cognac when he earned the position in 2014. That same year he helped his mentor, Pierrette Trichet—a pioneer herself as the first female cellar master—prepare her own birthday expression, the Rémy Martin 290th Anniversary Coupe.
Unsurprisingly, that 290th celebration was born from barrels that made up the 275th Anniversary Coupe created in 1974 under the hand of then-Cellar Master André Giraud. So it is fitting that last year Loiseau returned to that same well, starting with the remaining barrels of the 290th Anniversary Coupe blend that have continued to age in oak barrels and wooden vats.
To put his own unique stamp on the bloodline of these vaunted Anniversary Coupes, the current Cellar Master scoured the vast Domaine de Merpins campus for eau-de-vie—the singular grape distillates that, when combined, will create his cognac—whose aromatics would not only complement the blend, but also add his own particular stamp on the house’s profile as its spiritual palate leader for a decade.
“I went back to take some samples of the 290th Anniversary Blend to see how it has evolved in the last 10 years, because I was there when it was created; I was just becoming the cellar master at that moment,” explains Loiseau. “When I went back to the cellars I noticed [the Anniversary Blend] has much more complex notes, figs, dates, plums—really concentrated. So what I wanted to give was a twist to these kind of aromas that are really essential to the House. I wanted something that adds more lightness, freshness—a kind of tension or counterbalance to the density linked to the longer aging [Anniversary Blend].”
This process, known as ” Réserve Perpétuelle” (aka “Perpetual Reserve”) serves the same idea as a solera blend, where new juice is added to vintage, assuring that elements of the bloodline remain in perpetuity as the spirit is blended and bottled. Of course this “new juice” is at least a decade aged, notes Loiseau, and only comes from Grande Champagne—widely known as the finest terroir for cognac.
“So by selecting eau-de-vie that are much more focused on the candied oranges—little bit of natural citrusy notes, a bit of sweet spices like nutmeg and ginger—by adding these to the initial blend in a small proportion, you can really pay tribute to history but give it a new twist.”
The end result is a knockout deep amber cognac with superb body that’s rich and complex. Featuring eau-de-vie that dates back to the 18th century, and quite likely older, the 300th Anniversary Coupe first lights up the palate with bright orange blossom and sweet fig marmalade notes. After ten minutes or so, as we converse, the elements change over time and develop in the glass.
“For me it’s really an authentic blend, you really feel the power of this freshness from the very beginning, speaking about these candied orange peels,” says the now veteran Cellar Master as he dips his nose deep into the tasting glass. “But what’s interesting is when you go back on the nose, it’s much more leathery, incense, the iris notes that are much more important, in addition to some of the exotic fruits.”
Of course with a cognac as privileged as the 300th Anniversary Coupe is in embodying the Rémy Martin name and profile, a package as elegant bottles it. Inspired by the aforementioned 250th Anniversary Coupe, the iconic glass carafe features embossed lines from the signature Centaur’s javelin, Rémy Martin’s emblem since 1870. While 6,724 individually numbered bottles were released worldwide, only 1,000 of the 300th Anniversary Coupes are available in the U.S., all packaged in a handsome bespoke wooden case.
“For me by making and creating this blend, it shapes my vision of how this blend has evolved through the years,” Loiseau says as we sign off. “And it is my vision for the next generation of the House.”
Follow Deputy Editor Nicolas Stecher on Instagram at @nickstecher and @boozeoftheday.
